ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · stand · march · ground · net · kid · hide · spell

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. kid — to tease
  3. march — the month
  4. net — in sport
  5. firm — steady
  6. spell — letters
  7. ground — the earth
  8. net — for catching
  9. kid — child
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. march — music
  12. spell — a short time
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. firm — a company
  16. stand — to bear
  17. march — the month
  18. spell — magic
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. ground — crushed
  23. ground — a position
  24. net — after costs

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com